Is there no Encanto thread?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think subjects of abuse and neglect are triggers for most. Likely our pasts do play a part in how we recognize and resolve abuse in our lives now. I do wish Disney had done a better job showing and handling that aspect of the movie for kids/families who are going through abusive situations/relationships because an apology and song is not the way to heal or move on.

I posted before that I thought the movie was okay but just not that well written, plot wise, because this was such a predictable and poorly executed conflict/resolution—I’m not from a dysfunctional family and have no triggers there. I just want a better plot! The dialogue was cute, songs were snappy, animation was phenomenal. This needed the Pete Doctor touch on the plot, or someone like him, and then it could have been amazing. As it is, doesn’t make my top 5 disney movies, maybe not even my top 10.

I think if you have no triggers in this space then it is very likely you will find the movie just blah. It doesn't speak to you! And that is ok! Not every movie is for every person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fact that people knew Bruno was in the walls and said nothing is quite abusive. The grandma was overly harsh and abusive and only favored those who had the magical gift. She asked her sized those that did not to the point that that little boy was scared crapless that he wasn't going to be able to open his damn door and was going to be disowned by his family. Yes, great loving inclusive message there. The grandma never really apologized for anything and at the end yeah Bruno comes out but he'd been in there for years. How traumatic is that? Why don't you ask anyone who is afraid to come out as gay or lesbian for the past decade?. It's not okay to say oh well. We knew you were gay but because you never came out and said anything, we felt it was okay to ostracize you and keep you hidden in a closet pretending to be straight. Listen. I typically like disney and Pixar movies, but this one seriously missed the mark. Maybe kids liked it because they didn't understand the true message, but anyone who actually understands this movie sees how this family circled the wagons and ostracized those that were different or didn't have what they felt was the gift. I mean Mirabelle has to be what in her late teens or twenties and is still in a nursery because she couldn't open it a damn door?!?!?

I think the movie is about how family does do this, but family also can heal and recognize their faults and apologize and come back together and how healing that can be.

I think it is very trendy right now to just walk away from anyone that doesn't bring you 24/7 joy. And of course, anyone has the right to walk away from anyone at any time and that is important. But we are losing our ability to mend fences, to reconcile and heal. The walk away trend ignores the fact that you can't walk away from the love and emotions as easily as you can the person. This is a movie about how people can grow and come back together.

I think this is why people have such visceral reactions to it. The message of this movie is that family is messy and hard but you are always there for each other. To many people that could be an indictment of your own choices. To others it is a validation of their choices.

I am an eldest sibling that cannot listen to Surface Pressure without crying because it so accurately describes me. I had an alcoholic parent and an emotionally abusive parent and a divorce and all kinds of issues including the death of a child. And through all of that, my family is always still trying, and even though there is pain we all make the choice to keep loving each other. So of course this movie speaks to me with incredible depth. It is a Rorschach test of a film I think.

I agree with this 1000%. I think the message is that people are messy, and hurt, especially when they've suffered past trauma, but that they have the potential to be better and do better together. Not perfect - but better.

"Perfect" vs "better" goes all through the movie. Pepa freaks out because Antonio's celebration has to be "perfect", Isabela feels that she always has to be perfect, Abuela feels like they need to cover up any imperfections from the townsfolks. She rejects Mirabel because Mirabel is a walking imperfection.

On the other hand is "better". Probably the most unambiguously good and loving character is Juileta, who is a healer. And at the end Mirabel's father says to Julieta "she takes after you" - Mirabel is a healer, too. Abuela says "it's not perfect, but neither are we".

Love it.

[Anonymous]

I put this in the same category at Luca. Eh at best but my daughter likes the songs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fact that people knew Bruno was in the walls and said nothing is quite abusive. The grandma was overly harsh and abusive and only favored those who had the magical gift. She asked her sized those that did not to the point that that little boy was scared crapless that he wasn't going to be able to open his damn door and was going to be disowned by his family. Yes, great loving inclusive message there. The grandma never really apologized for anything and at the end yeah Bruno comes out but he'd been in there for years. How traumatic is that? Why don't you ask anyone who is afraid to come out as gay or lesbian for the past decade?. It's not okay to say oh well. We knew you were gay but because you never came out and said anything, we felt it was okay to ostracize you and keep you hidden in a closet pretending to be straight. Listen. I typically like disney and Pixar movies, but this one seriously missed the mark. Maybe kids liked it because they didn't understand the true message, but anyone who actually understands this movie sees how this family circled the wagons and ostracized those that were different or didn't have what they felt was the gift. I mean Mirabelle has to be what in her late teens or twenties and is still in a nursery because she couldn't open it a damn door?!?!?

I think the movie is about how family does do this, but family also can heal and recognize their faults and apologize and come back together and how healing that can be.

I think it is very trendy right now to just walk away from anyone that doesn't bring you 24/7 joy. And of course, anyone has the right to walk away from anyone at any time and that is important. But we are losing our ability to mend fences, to reconcile and heal. The walk away trend ignores the fact that you can't walk away from the love and emotions as easily as you can the person. This is a movie about how people can grow and come back together.

I think this is why people have such visceral reactions to it. The message of this movie is that family is messy and hard but you are always there for each other. To many people that could be an indictment of your own choices. To others it is a validation of their choices.

I am an eldest sibling that cannot listen to Surface Pressure without crying because it so accurately describes me. I had an alcoholic parent and an emotionally abusive parent and a divorce and all kinds of issues including the death of a child. And through all of that, my family is always still trying, and even though there is pain we all make the choice to keep loving each other. So of course this movie speaks to me with incredible depth. It is a Rorschach test of a film I think.

I agree with this 1000%. I think the message is that people are messy, and hurt, especially when they've suffered past trauma, but that they have the potential to be better and do better together. Not perfect - but better.

"Perfect" vs "better" goes all through the movie. Pepa freaks out because Antonio's celebration has to be "perfect", Isabela feels that she always has to be perfect, Abuela feels like they need to cover up any imperfections from the townsfolks. She rejects Mirabel because Mirabel is a walking imperfection.

On the other hand is "better". Probably the most unambiguously good and loving character is Juileta, who is a healer. And at the end Mirabel's father says to Julieta "she takes after you" - Mirabel is a healer, too. Abuela says "it's not perfect, but neither are we".

Love it.

Insightful takes, thanks!

[Anonymous]

Things got heated here! Just to lighten things up, I found this awesome mashup of We Don’t Talk About Bruno and Apple Bottom Jeans:

https://youtu.be/drVQdw6oQ6U

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Listen, i get it. some of you love the movie. But some of us expect more from Disney and LMM at this point. I think it had promise and could have been a pretty good film but it spent way too long showing how all of these family members are special compared to the 'others' who don't have the special gifts. When you spend a good 15 minutes on a guy living in the walls but not one family member coaxed him out, showed care/love/sympathy, just "we don't talk about him' and only a few minutes with the matriarch who started this entire abusive circle saying "oopsies, sorry'. Yeah. That is not an ok way to resolve what is now decades of abuse.

Each person thought they used their gifts for good but really they were just selfish and liked the attention. Instead of building a room for Maribel, who i guess could only get a bedroom if she was special enough and the house deemed it so, they kept her in a nursery.

And yes, that little kid was scared to not get a gift because he saw his 20 year old aunt living in a baby room and his uncle was basically ostracized from teh family all related to this 'gift' business.

The film could have held promise had they come to the realization they all sucked at around the mid point and spent the rest of hte movie showing how every person in that town was great. NOT just this family. If someone, anyone other than Maribel had shown an ounce of humainty to Bruno, I don't know, if we found out they were secretly feeding him, communicating with him, begging him to return. Nope. Instead we get a 5 minute song saying they don't talk about him. That is not a way to handle any situation and can be a really unhealthy message for any person or child feeling alone and not like everyone else.

And for those defending this movie and NOT showing abuse, i do feel for you because you may have been in abusive relationships and were gaslighted to think they weren't.

Exactly why I decided to not take my kids for this movie!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen, i get it. some of you love the movie. But some of us expect more from Disney and LMM at this point. I think it had promise and could have been a pretty good film but it spent way too long showing how all of these family members are special compared to the 'others' who don't have the special gifts. When you spend a good 15 minutes on a guy living in the walls but not one family member coaxed him out, showed care/love/sympathy, just "we don't talk about him' and only a few minutes with the matriarch who started this entire abusive circle saying "oopsies, sorry'. Yeah. That is not an ok way to resolve what is now decades of abuse.

Each person thought they used their gifts for good but really they were just selfish and liked the attention. Instead of building a room for Maribel, who i guess could only get a bedroom if she was special enough and the house deemed it so, they kept her in a nursery.

And yes, that little kid was scared to not get a gift because he saw his 20 year old aunt living in a baby room and his uncle was basically ostracized from teh family all related to this 'gift' business.

The film could have held promise had they come to the realization they all sucked at around the mid point and spent the rest of hte movie showing how every person in that town was great. NOT just this family. If someone, anyone other than Maribel had shown an ounce of humainty to Bruno, I don't know, if we found out they were secretly feeding him, communicating with him, begging him to return. Nope. Instead we get a 5 minute song saying they don't talk about him. That is not a way to handle any situation and can be a really unhealthy message for any person or child feeling alone and not like everyone else.

And for those defending this movie and NOT showing abuse, i do feel for you because you may have been in abusive relationships and were gaslighted to think they weren't.

Exactly why I decided to not take my kids for this movie!

Did you read the article by the family therapist? I mean, there are lots of movies, suit yourself, but… PP’s opinion is very much a minority one.

[Anonymous]

So was Bruno wrong about Delores? It's he no longer "just out of reach" at the end? Or did the vision just not look far enough into the future?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A perspective from a family therapist:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/18/health/encanto-therapy-immigration-wellness-cec/index.html

Interesting how they gloss over the core issues and concerns because the characters are cute and likable overall. There is a lot of dysfunction that is not properly addressed and should not be minimized just because it's Disney.

OMG. It's a 90 minute kids' movie. It doesn't need to have a full dissertation on healing dysfunction and abuse.

+1 to the bold. The idea that this movie has some obligation to "properly address" dysfunction and depict situations in ways PP insists they should be depicted is a very adult "ask" for a children's movie. A lot of projecting responsibility onto Disney, the writers, LMM is going on here. The movie dealt with some family issues in a way that was age-appropriate for kids. That's all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think subjects of abuse and neglect are triggers for most. Likely our pasts do play a part in how we recognize and resolve abuse in our lives now. I do wish Disney had done a better job showing and handling that aspect of the movie for kids/families who are going through abusive situations/relationships because an apology and song is not the way to heal or move on.

I posted before that I thought the movie was okay but just not that well written, plot wise, because this was such a predictable and poorly executed conflict/resolution—I’m not from a dysfunctional family and have no triggers there. I just want a better plot! The dialogue was cute, songs were snappy, animation was phenomenal. This needed the Pete Doctor touch on the plot, or someone like him, and then it could have been amazing. As it is, doesn’t make my top 5 disney movies, maybe not even my top 10.

I think if you have no triggers in this space then it is very likely you will find the movie just blah. It doesn't speak to you! And that is ok! Not every movie is for every person.

DP. What an odd statement above in bold.

So...if one does not have any triggers like dysfunction or abuse, one will find the movie "blah"? We have to have abuse/dysfunction triggers in order to find the movie something more than blah?

I don't have any abuse or dysfunction in my past yet I enjoyed the movie greatly and do not find it blah. Or will you say I'm repressing my dysfunctional past?.....Wow.

[Anonymous]

Loved Luisa’s song Surface Pressure. Feel like strong women can’t just never stop or let down, or the house of cards will fall. Luisa did everything for as long as possible, then mirabel took the torch to save the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So was Bruno wrong about Delores? It's he no longer "just out of reach" at the end? Or did the vision just not look far enough into the future?

I think he didn't look far enough into the future, meaning his vision was incomplete, or Mirabel was the x factor. I'm leaning towards it was Mirabel. She found out Isabella's true feelings about the marriage, which appeared to lead Isabella to call it off based on Mariano being sad. Then Mirabel suggested Delores. A happy ending for all.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. I feel very invested in Dolores for some reason. She must know so many secrets! Not all that interested in the shape shifting cousin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Loved Luisa’s song Surface Pressure. Feel like strong women can’t just never stop or let down, or the house of cards will fall. Luisa did everything for as long as possible, then mirabel took the torch to save the day.

I think you missed it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think subjects of abuse and neglect are triggers for most. Likely our pasts do play a part in how we recognize and resolve abuse in our lives now. I do wish Disney had done a better job showing and handling that aspect of the movie for kids/families who are going through abusive situations/relationships because an apology and song is not the way to heal or move on.

I posted before that I thought the movie was okay but just not that well written, plot wise, because this was such a predictable and poorly executed conflict/resolution—I’m not from a dysfunctional family and have no triggers there. I just want a better plot! The dialogue was cute, songs were snappy, animation was phenomenal. This needed the Pete Doctor touch on the plot, or someone like him, and then it could have been amazing. As it is, doesn’t make my top 5 disney movies, maybe not even my top 10.

I think if you have no triggers in this space then it is very likely you will find the movie just blah. It doesn't speak to you! And that is ok! Not every movie is for every person.

DP. What an odd statement above in bold.

So...if one does not have any triggers like dysfunction or abuse, one will find the movie "blah"? We have to have abuse/dysfunction triggers in order to find the movie something more than blah?

I don't have any abuse or dysfunction in my past yet I enjoyed the movie greatly and do not find it blah. Or will you say I'm repressing my dysfunctional past?.....Wow.

I think you're reading a lot of negativity into my post that was not there! PP said she didn't like the plot because she's not from a dysfunctional family. I think that if you have no personal experience that allows you to have empathy for the characters, it might seem boring. Of course that isn't universal. I am glad you enjoyed it and I did not say a single thing about anyone 'repressing their dysfunctional past' hahahaha. What a weird direction to take my comment. What I said is that not every movie is for every person and I think that is true and I'm happy this WAS a movie for you!